Treatment with a “mini-dose” of ready-to-use, subcutaneous glucagon is an effective, alternative treatment for hypoglycemia in adults with type 1 diabetes, according to recent study findings.

“Mini-dose glucagon provides the opportunity to treat mild hypoglycemia without the consumption of additional calories, and may well avoid the problem of glycemic overshoot often observed with oral carbohydrate treatment of mild to moderate hypoglycemia, and without any nausea or other side effects associated with large doses of aqueous glucagon,” Morey W. Haymond, MD, professor of pediatrics and nutrition at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, told Endocrine Today. “Having a liquid glucagon product that is stable at room temperatures over long periods of time, and in a ready-to-use device, will make this easy to use (not requiring reconstitution of lyophilized glucagon) and, hopefully, very patient acceptable.”

Mean fasting glucose concentrations were 110 mg/dL for the 75-µg and 150-µg doses, and 109 mg/dL for the 300-µg doses, increasing maximally at 60 minutes by 33 mg/dL for the 75-µg dose, 64 mg/dL for the 150-µg dose and 95 mg/dL for the 300-µg (P < .001 for all).

“The T1D Exchange at the Jaeb Center, in collaboration with the Helmsley Charitable Trust, are conducting an at-home clinical trial comparing mini-dose glucagon and oral glucose treatment of mild hypoglycemia to assess efficacy and patient acceptability,” Haymond said. “It will be exciting to anticipate these studies and to see this product come online and be available for our patients.” – by Regina Schaffer